When asking the people in Keith Howard’s life what they remembered most about the coach, I wasn’t surprised by the answer I received over and over again.

They all said with little variation that Keith Howard cared about kids. That answer didn’t shock me because I learned that very soon after meeting the man over four years ago. Whenever I wanted to talk about a player at Lincoln, Howard first told me about the athlete’s grades, how he went to class, stayed out of trouble, did the right things. Then, and only then, would Howard talk about the player’s statistics or athletic ability. Because at the end of the day Howard cared about the students he taught, the players he coached. And while the coaching honors he gained and the records his teams compiled were nice, they were not most important to the Lincoln native.

Howard did every day what many people would like to do at least once. He affected lives, a lot of lives.

If you don’t believe me, look at some of the comments from the stories on The Daily Home’s web site. Look at the quotes from the athletes that our staff talked to over the weekend. Or go to Lincoln, walk in any place of business or stop anyone on the street and ask them about Keith Howard. I guarantee they’ll have a story for you.

The Lincoln Golden Bears will take the field Thursday night for their first full game without the man many of the players thought of as a father. They’ll play that game and all the rest of their games this season with Howard heavy on their minds and in their hearts.

But they wouldn’t cancel this game or any other for anything in the world. Because playing this game is what Howard would have wanted.

“He was a great guy,” former LHS player Tiger Williams said. “He put everything he could into being the best football team, but at the end of the day he wanted us to be better men, better role models for the community and better men in life.”

A winning season, a state championship would be a great tribute to Howard. But what would mean more to the coach would be seeing his players go on to be great men – men who put caring about people ahead of caring about football.

That’s what Howard did. And from talking to those who coached with him and those who played for him, I’d say he succeeded. He left a legacy that far surpassed any glory gained on a football field.